Diamond in the Rough
by Mayasha-chan
Summary: When the young princess Asuka gets fed up with her father's endless attempts to marry her off to strange princes that she's never met before, she takes a trip into the kingdom her father rules over. Hoping to find a way to escape her fate. She says that she's given up on love but, what will she do when a certain street rat boy with unusual blue hair catches her eye... JohanxAsuka!
1. The Dream

**Hey guys! This is my very first fanfic, so it's probably going to suck. Anyway, I wanted to say that I'm welcome to all forms of reviews; Good, Bad, Great, and Terrible! I need all kinds of reviews so that I can improve my stories and make them more appealing to you guys! For more background info on this story visit my profile. And without further ado begin reading!**

**Wait-You've already been reading this… So… Never mind! Keep reading!**

**Oh BTW you guys can call me Haruhi! Or Haruhi-Chan! If you want to know why just visit my profile! And when it mentions a melody search Taylor Swift Safe and Sound into Youtube and listen to it to add to the effect of the story!**

**Oh right! The disclaimer! Duh! I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX or any of the characters in it. If I did then the story would have never stopped where it did! Anyway Enjoy!**

Normal speech

(Important info outside the story)

_What their thinking…_

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Dream**

Alexis/Asuka P.O.V

I cautiously dipped my foot into the sea of sand that was surrounding me. I didn't know where it had come from or why it was even here, I didn't care. However, my curiosity had got the better of me. The sand felt like smooth silk upon my skin, so warm and soft. It didn't seem dangerous to me so I let my other foot take a dip.

I felt a warm sensation flow through me as I slowly made my way across the endless sea of sand. I then felt a gentle breeze play with my hair, bringing a smile to my face. Then, I suddenly heard a beautiful melody being played all around me. I stopped walking and looked around. I couldn't find where the song was coming from, not that it mattered to me.

I shut my eyes and let the music consume me. It was so soothing and sweet, I felt all me worries and cares melt away. I didn't want this feeling to stop. But the music started to fade and I heard a voice calling out to me. As I opened my eyes I saw a silhouette of a teenage boy. I couldn't make out his facial features but I could see his electric blue hair. I found it quite intriguing, as I'd never seen a boy with blue hair before.

He looked like he was trying to call out to me but for some reason I couldn't hear what he was saying. I tried to respond but nothing came out. I grasped my throat in shock. Why couldn't I speak? What's wrong with me?

I looked back at him and noticed that he was starting to fade away! As was everything around me! I wanted to cry out "Wait!" but no sound left my lips. So I watched in utter horror as everything started to fade into the darkness, and this darkness spread everywhere until, I was all alone.

I frantically looked for a way out but, everywhere I looked I just saw the darkness.

Then, without warning, a massive blood-shot eye appeared in front of me. The eye just stared at me, in such a way that it made feel like a frightened little girl. I wanted it to stop, to disappear and never return!

I then heard a sinister laughter in the recesses of my mind. The voice just kept laughing and laughing. I wanted to scream but, I remembered that it would be pointless; after all I was all alone here.

The air around me then started to feel cold. I wrapped my arms around myself in an attempt to try and trap what little body heat I had. It was useless though. The cold bite away at my skin like it was fresh meat that had been laid out for a pack of hungry wolves. I fell to my knees, feeling like a scared little girl. Tears streaming down my face. It's at this point that the sinister laughter ceased and a was replaced by a dark eerie voice that seemed to echo in my mind; "My, what a pathetic girl you are… I was hoping for a more courageous person to fight"

To fight? What does it mean?

"But then again, it wouldn't have made a difference" it snarled. I didn't like the way this demon was talking to me but I couldn't speak! So I couldn't talk back to it.

"Soon you and every miserable person in this kingdom shall perish! Mark my words girl"

Suddenly, everything went white. I didn't understand what was happening.

* * *

"Miss? Mistress Asuka?" That voice… I know that voice…

I felt my eyes flutter open and found myself in my bed. At my bedside was a very concerned looking maid waiting for me to respond. I propped myself in an upright position and let out a huge sigh. _Thank goodness! _I thought, _it was just a dream._

"Miss Asuka? Are you alright?" I turned my attention to my concerned maid and smiled, "Yes Blair, I'm perfectly fine. I just had a strange dream that's all"

She smiled at my reply, and then walked over to the humungous curtains and began to slowly open them. "I'm glad to hear that Miss Asuka, we wouldn't want you to be ill on a day like today! Now would we?"

I felt the sunlight shine right in my face as I slowly made my way out of my King-sized bed, I put my hand in front of my eyes to try and block the sun from reaching my eyes but my effort proved fruitless. "I've told you, just call me Asuka and what's so great about today?"

Blair then turned around and helped me out of the bed, she then started helping me get dressed into my normal outfit(Basically picture Princess Jasmine's outfit on Asuka). "Why don't you remember Asuka? After your morning lessons you have another suitor coming to see you!"

"Ugh" was my reply.

I was fed up with my father's constant attempts to marry me off to some complete stranger! Even though he keeps saying that it's for the sake of the kingdom, he doesn't even consider my feelings towards all of this. "I'm not looking forward to it Blair" I said while Blair was doing my doing hair into a big plait. "Why not Asuka?" she replied.

"Because it's just going to be some up-tight, snobby, egotistical ass-hat! Who only wants me for my looks and for the right to the kingdom!" Blair was one of the only people who I could talk to about this whole suitor thing, she's the only person who listens to what I have to say instead of saying that "it's my duty to marry a rich prince and lead the kingdom to prosperity".

"Ah, you have a point there!" she replied, "But you have to admit…" she finished plaiting my hair and placed my blue headpiece gently on my head. "You are to die for!" I looked at myself in the mirror and felt a bit embarrassed by Blair's comment. Was I really that good looking? I would say that I was average looking, not ugly but not anything special.

"P-Please Blair! I'm not anything special." I stammered, trying to conceal my embarrassment by putting my small gold earrings in.

Blair had a crafty smile on her face. She then leaned close to my ear and whispered "Asuka, you've put your earrings on upside down"

I immediately stopped what I was doing and turned my head so that I could see my ear in the mirror. Unfortunately, Blair was right. I tried to fix it but Blair was already there. "Maybe, this guy will be different." She commented, moving to my other ear to sort out the mistake I'd made.

"Trust me Blair. When you've seen one, you've seen them all! And I've already seen seven this week!" I shouted. I was sick and tired of all of them, and I had to tell someone! I then sighed. Stood up, and walked over to the window. "All I want is to find someone who will love me for me. Not because of some flashy title I have or because it's a one way ticket to being a ruler!"

I looked out the window and down on two small birds sitting side by side on a branch together, chirping away merrily. I sighed again and turned back to Blair who had a look of sadness on her face.

"But my father doesn't seem to understand this. So, I've given up on love and marriage. I refuse to let my father treat me like a prize that needs to be won!" I must have sounded like a total brat to Blair, but I couldn't help it. This is how I felt, and I wanted to vent it on someone. Poor Blair was just the unlucky person. I fully expected her to give me a lecture on how immature I was being. What she did next seriously surprised me.

Blair's look of sadness completely disappeared and was replaced by that of a loving smile. She walked over to me and took her hands in mine, looked up at me and said "I understand Asuka, you must hate having all these men treat you this way. But please, don't give up on love! I'm sure your perfect man is just waiting for you somewhere, you just have to find him!"

I stood there, completely dumbfounded by what Blair had just said. She obviously saw this and finished up her little speech with a mood changer. "Now, you go show that boy who's boss! Ok?" She gave me a wink and I felt a smile creep on my face. She then opened the door to my room. "Come Princess Asuka, we don't want you to be late for your first lesson"

I smiled and made my made out of my room, leaving Blair with a few final words. "Yes, we wouldn't want that."

As I walked down the hallway I couldn't help but think about what Blair had said. She was right. I shouldn't give up on love just yet! That's when I felt a light bulb go off in my head. _You just have to find him eh?_ The perfect plan came to mind. I should do exactly what Blair said and go FIND him!

I felt an over welling sense of determination and courage take over my body. I knew what I had to. Now I just need to get through this day! I hope my boy can wait for me a little while longer!

* * *

**Sooooo, what do you guys think? Was it good? Bad? Terrible? Great? Let me know! Also I included both English and Japanese names of characters in this first chapter because I wasn't sure which one you guys prefer. So let me know! Do you prefer:**

English names?

or

Japanese names?

Until next time! See ya! ;D


	2. The Plan

**Hey guys! Thank you to everyone who read chapter 1! Sorry that I haven't updated in a while (stupid GCSE exams!) I plan to update much more frequently. I want to thank HodgePodge97 and ScarletLycrois for reviewing! And without further a due, chapter 2! (Hehe! That sounds weird!) ^_^**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX, if I did then it wouldn't have ended where it did!**

**Enjoy!**

Normal speech

(Important info outside the story)

_What their thinking…_

**Chapter 2: The Plan**

Asuka P.O.V

I honestly felt that this day was never going to end. My walking, maths, English, history and piano lessons just seemed to bore me to no end. All I could think about is that dream I had this morning. What did it mean? And who was that boy with the blue hair?

But due to me getting lost in my train of thought, I accidently miss-played a few keys and was scolded by my music teacher. Not that I cared. I'd lost interest in the piano long ago.

The suitor visit didn't help either. He met me on the balcony, like all the other suitors did. But he was no different to the last, arrogant, stuck up and as polite as an angry baboon that's been smoking crack.

He went on and on about how beautiful I was, how lucky a girl I would be if I picked him, and how he would make the kingdom prosper under his reign. I remained silent throughout his speech, wanting nothing more than for him to shut up and leave. He wrapped up his speech by proclaiming his 'undying love for me'. To be honest, I'd rather hear this from a street rat than this bull of slime!

Being the nice person that I am, I kindly declined his proposal. Inside though, I wanted to tell him how much of a snob he was and why I would never love a guy like him. Unfortunately, if I had said what I'd wanted to say, it probably would have a bad reflect on the kingdom, this is the main reason behind how I hid my true feelings.

Well, he didn't take rejection well.

After I declined his proposal, he just stood there for a few minutes with this rather quizzical look on his face. For a moment, I thought of waving my hand in front of his face but that thought left my mind as quick as he did. He stormed away angrily muttered a few words that should not be repeated.

Later on, I found out that he almost ran over a couple of children as he was leaving the palace. I was glad to hear that the children were alright in the end but, I was also concerned about the suitor. From what I could tell, he definitely seemed like the type to hold a grudge. Which means, he's not going to give up on me easily. I let out a long, exasperated sigh.

_Great. _I thought, _Just great…_

After a very long and painfully boring dinner with my father, I ran as fast as I could to the servant's quarters. No doubt that when I got there the first person to greet me with a warm and friendly smile, was Rei. She was a bit surprised though to see me here of all places.

I slowly entered the room, still a bit uncertain that I was alone with Rei. When Rei told me we were the only people in here I relaxed, and proceeded in telling Rei my plan.

Being the mischievous girl she is, Rei was more than happy to help. With that bit out of the way, Rei darted off into the other room and later, came back with the perfect outfit for me to wear; a small brown dress that had been ripped and torn beyond repair at the bottom, a pair of brown sandals and a very long piece of brown fabric for me to hid my golden blond hair.

Once I was changed, I did notice a few things about the outfit. The first thing that occurred to me is that this dress had obviously belonged to Rei before she came to work for us, so on me this dress was more like a mini-skirt. Secondly, as I looked in the mirror hanging over Rei's make-up table, I couldn't really recognize myself. Rei had done an amazing job of hiding all my hair in the brown fabric, and the dirt marks she'd made on my face really did make me look like a woman from the streets.

Rei seemed quite impressed with her work as well. She looked me over one last time before standing back with a satisfied look and saying "Girl, you're ready for the streets!"

I crossed my arms and smiled. Gladly taking it as a compliment to my street-looks.

Rei then lead me to a rather beaten up door at the back of the room. She then opened it very slowly and poked her head out a few times to check that the coast was clear. "Ok!" she said then turned to face me, "You can leave through this door. This is the servant's entrance, it's how we get in and out of the palace. Once you've had your day on the streets just come back here and knock on the door 3 times, I'll then know it's you and let you in, ok?"

I nodded my head in confirmation and slowly tippy-toed my way through the door and out of the palace.

As I saw the streets for the first time, I noticed that there wasn't a single person in sight. It took me a while before I remembered that it was practically mid-night, so everyone would be sleeping now. It then occurred to me that I needed to find a place to sleep too. After a few scans of the area, I eventually found an old beat-up carpet lying in an alleyway.

_Meh, it's better than nothing._

I grabbed the carpet and it flat on the sand covered ground, then, I settled myself down for the night and shut my weary eyes. So far, the plan was going great, and I could tell that it was only going to get better.

Johan's P.O.V

As I sat on top of the flat-topped, sandstone house, I felt the sun beat down on my blue hair, making it feel like a turkey that's been left to cook slowly.

I surveyed the market street below me, making sure to take in every little detail. The streets were bustling with people as usual, street merchants were shouting their heads off everywhere about deals, fresh produce and bargains. Everything seemed to be as it should but, after a final check, I noticed something very strange. There weren't any guards patrolling the streets. I took a moment to think it over.

_Why wouldn't there be any guards?_

That's when I remembered that another suitor was visiting the princess today, so all the guards would be at the palace entrance.

I felt a sly grin show at the corner of my mouth, feeling happy that today's picking would be like taking candy from a baby. I dangled my legs over the edge of the house and hooked them on a small wooden pole that was sticking out of the building. I slowly lowered myself until I was upside, hanging by my feet, waiting for my best friend to give me the signal.

Luckily for me, my friend came running up to the market stall I was behind, snatched a watermelon from the table, stuck his tongue out at the stall owner and then legged it down the street. I watched in amusement as the angry stall owner ran after him, waving his fist in the air.

I reached out to the table and grabbed 2 loaves of bread, then, using my upper-body strength, I pulled myself up into an upright position so that I could sit on the roof edge again.

I was shortly joined by my best friend, who seemed very pleased about something.

"That was quick"

"Yeah! It turns out that for a big guy, he sure can move!" he huffed, obviously worn out from having to run with a watermelon. "Speaking of which, where is that watermelon you grabbed?"

A huge grin spread across his face as he popped himself down by my side. "Well, about that, I sort of slipped and fell backwards on one of the steps leading down the back alley, and as I slipped I let go of the watermelon and it went flying!" he exclaimed, with a few funny hand actions to add effect to his story.

"So, what happened to the watermelon?"

He started scratching his mess of brown hair, a nervous habit we both had. "It kind of landed on the guy's head…?"

We both just stared at each other for a while before bursting into fits of laughter. In fact, we were laughing so hard, we were crying!

My best friend, Judai, could always make me laugh.

We walked side by side down the busy street, heading towards the palace gates. "Hey, have you noticed that there weren't any guards on duty today?"

"Yeah, it's because the princess has another suitor visiting" I replied, as we climbed up the dusty steps onto the roof of yet, another building.

"Dude! That's like the… 8th one this week!" Judai stated, counting on his fingers just to make sure he got it right.

"I heard ya Jay'" I replied, watching as the gates slowly opened.

"Man, she must be one headstrong girl!"

Judai walked up to the edge of the building and looked up towards the palace. I went up beside him and looked in the same direction. "Well, let's see if this one failed or not"

We waited for a while, and began to wonder if this suitor had actually succeeded on winning the heart of the princess. Suddenly, the palace doors burst open and a rather angry looking man on a white horse was making his way down the palace steps.

"He's going a bit fast down those steps, isn't he?" Judai asked, looking as concerned as I did about how fast this man was going.

"If he doesn't slow down soon he might hit-" I stopped mid-sentence as I noticed 2 children wandering out onto the path that the man was heading down.

_He's going to run them over!_

I jumped down from the roof and landed safely on a pile of grain sacks. I scrambled to my feet, pushed my way through the crowd and leapt out in front of the children.

The horse came to a sudden stop and reared itself at the sight of me. For a moment, I was worried that the horse would come down on top of me, but that fear disappeared as my determination to protect the children took over, and helped me stand my ground.

The horse backed up a bit before coming back down on all fours. I ushed the children over to Judai. I had no intention of leaving until I gave this guy a piece of my mind. I stormed up to the side of the horse and looked up at the rather pissed off man.

"HEY! ASS!" I shouted, hoping that the insult would catch his attention, and it sure did! He whipped his head round to face me and at the sight of me, his lips creased to form a scowl. He looked like he was going to reply, but I wasn't finished talking yet. "You need to watch where you're going man! You almost ran over a couple of kids! Just who the hell do you think you are?!"

Now, I knew I was going to regret that last part!

The man's scowl instantly transformed into a look that could kill! With his teeth bared at me, he replied "That should be my line peasant! For I am Prince Jun Manjoume! The man destined to win the heart of the princess!"

Judging by his last sentence, he must have failed to win the princess over. Not that I was surprised, the way he was acting he'd be lucky to get any girl.

"Oh? So you're a ROYAL ASS then?" I retaliated, " It's no wonder then why the princess rejected you!"

WHACK!

As soon as those last few words left my lips, he grabbed his riding crop and whacked me across the face with it. I fell to the ground and winced as I hit the floor, my face stinging with pain from where he'd hit me. I touched my cheek with my hand, when I looked at it, it was covered in blood. I glared at the prince but, he looked quite proud with what he'd done. I would have lashed out at him if he hadn't said these next few words. "What would a street rat like you know anyway?"

I froze.

The prince and everyone else left after his comment, while I just sat on the ground. Frozen in place. I felt something shake me back to reality, I blinked a few times to see that Judai was shaking me; with the two kids I'd helped, either side of him.

"Johan! Johan can you hear me?"

"Judai? You can stop shaking me, I'm alright" I took his hands off my shoulders and stood up.

"Are you sure you're alright? Your still bleeding!" I instantly wiped my bleeding cheek with my arm and replied "Yeah, I'm sure. Comn'on Jay! It takes more than that to bring me down!"

He smiled at my cocky response, knowing that when I said stuff like that, I was fine. I turned my attention to the 2 children and asked them "Are you guys ok?"

The youngest of the 2 hid behind the older child and uttered 3 words in a small voice, "Yes… Thank you…"

_Hm… She seemed a bit shy… I know!_

I looked at Judai and he seemed to know what I was thinking. He stuck his hand in the brown bag, handing on his shoulders, and pulled out one of the loaves of bread we snatched this morning. He handed it to me and I broke it in half, and then offered the 2 pieces of bread to the children.

They seemed hesitant to take the bread, so I smiled and said "Here, take it. You must be hungry"

As if on cue the children's stomach's started to growl like angry dogs, they snatched the bread and started to run off down a nearby alley. I watched as the little girl waved at me 1 last time before disappearing after her brother. I looked up at the sky and noticed that the sun was starting to set.

I sighed, feeling like I'd wasted my day fighting with that prince. And what had it got me? A scar on my left cheek! Definitely something I didn't need.

I called back to Judai, "Let's go home Judai! It's getting late"

I sat in the pane-less window, gazing down on the dark, empty market streets.

_Was my life just going to be stealing every day?_

It may not seem like it but I've never actually enjoyed stealing. Sure with Judai, it was fun to think up schemes and play tricks on the shop merchants to get the stuff we needed to live, but I 've always felt a bit guilty.

I looked out towards the palace.

_I wonder what it would be like to live there…?_

A constant thought that would always come to my head as I looked at the palace and dreamed of warm beds, nice food and place to really call home… But I wouldn't dwell on the thought for too long. After all, I'm a street rat, and street rat never amount to anything.

I suddenly felt the world around me fade away into the darkness as my eyes gave in to silent monster known as, sleep.

**So how was that? Good? Bad? Suckish? Let me know!**

**I'm gunna try and get chapter 3 done by tomorrow to make up for my late update! See you guys next time!**

**;D**


	3. The Fateful encounter

**Hey guys! I'm so, so, so, so sorry that it took me so long to upload this chapter! But with a surprise computing test and my friends stealing my fanfic book (Book I write chapters in) I really had to work hard to get this chapter done! I'm sorry that it might not be as good but now that school's out for a week I'm going to try my best to upload as many chapters as possible!**

**BTW it's come to my attention that I may have been writing the characters a bit OC. I'm sorry about that and I promise to try my best to write them as in character as possible for here on out!**

**I want to thank ScarletLycrois, HodgePodge97 and Higuchimon for their reviews! ^_^**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh Gx or any of the characters, if did the story would have never **

**stopped where it did!**

**Now read on my friend! XD (Oh and 'rotty' is now a real word!)**

Normal speech

(Important info outside the story)

_What their thinking…_

**Chapter 3: The Fateful encounter**

Johan P.O.V

As I opened my eyes I was blinded by a white light. I flung my arm over my face, trying to block out the light. It didn't work. The light was still glaring at me. I grunted and rolled over, in hope that the light would disappear from my line of sight.

Well, it worked. 'Cause all I can see now is the floor.

I lifted my head to see Judai fast asleep with his arms and feet hanging off either side of his hammock. I got to my feet and smiled.

_There's no way he's going to wake up anytime soon. I'm just glad he's not snoring…_

As if on cue, Judai started snoring and boy, did he snore loud! It was like there was a wild elephant loose in the room.

I can't stand it when Judai snores, so, I grabbed my brown bag and made my out the window, onto the roof.

_If I can't stay here, I might as well get some breakfast._

It was no feat getting to the market place. The houses were so close together, that you could of crossed them like stepping stones. But it's also probably 'cause I'm such a good jumper. I don't like to brag but jumping was definitely a skill of mine. 'Jumper Johan' is what Judai calls me. I don't mind the nickname but when he starts comparing me to a kangaroo, I can't help but laugh.

The market streets looked as busy as ever, making it easy for me to snatch some cool stuff; some apples, a loaf of sweet bread, a fish and even a book for us to read, and by 'us' I mean that I read it while Judai listens.

Judai was never one for reading. He'd always open a book and then give up immediately, claiming that the words overloaded his brain.

But don't get Judai wrong, he loves a good story. We both do in fact. So, whenever I had the chance, I would try and find a book for us to read.

I looked at the cover of the book. It showed a woman with golden hair lying on a bed asleep, she was wearing a pink dress and her lips were ruby red. Standing over her was a man in a red cape. He had a sword strapped to his belt.

_He must be a knight of some-sort. _

I looked at the cover again and saw that the man was trying to kiss the woman. My eyes then diverted to the title.

_Sleeping Beauty, huh?_

I stashed the book in my bag and started to make my way across the rooftops.

_This book will definitely make a change from the one we found last time!_

I thought back to when Judai found a book called 'World History'. It didn't make a bit of sense to either of us. So, we ended up using it as fuel for the fire. But, my trip down memory lane was cut short by a rather loud voice.

"HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO A CHILD!"

I stopped, went to the edge of the roof and looked down. I saw a crowd beginning to form around three people. There was a small boy being held in the air by the head of the guard, Vellian Crowler.

Now Crowler may not be the strongest man but, what he lacks in strength he makes up in intelligence, he was definitely the smartest out of all the guards. Not to mention the most persistent when it came to street people.

The last person, I couldn't really see their face but from what they were wearing, I guessed she was a girl. She was wearing a tattered brown mini-dress, and her hair was wrapped in a long piece of brown fabric.

I was also guessing that she was the one who had shouted out earlier, as Crowler was glaring at her in an evil way. He dropped the boy then went over to her and grabbed her by the neck.

"Really~ and what's a rotty, grotty girl like you going to do about it?"

The girl seemed to ponder the question for a brief moment before doing something that shocked everyone. Especially Crowler.

The girl spat in his face.

I couldn't believe what she just did. It took me a few moments to get my head around it. When I finally came to terms with it, I had to admit, I was impressed.

Crowler though, wasn't in slightest. He dropped the girl, pulled out his sword and raised it above his head.

The girl was in trouble now!

I knew I had to do something, but what could I do?!

Asuka P.O.V

I walked slowly down the buzzing street, trying to take in all the sights and smells surrounding me. I never imagined that the streets would be this busy. Everywhere I looked there was something happening. Things being bought, things being sold, it was definitely more exciting than my morning lessons.

Suddenly, I heard a small growl. I looked around in confusion, trying to find the source of the sound. That's when it dawned on me that the sound was coming from my stomach.

_I guess I should buy some food…_

I strolled over to a nearby fruit stand and gazed at the colourful array of fruit. " See anything you like miss?"

I tilted my head up to see the stall owner smiling at me.

"It all looks so good! What would you recommend?" I asked.

His smile turned into a cheeky grin as he picked up an apple from the back of the stand.

"For a beautiful lady like you, I could recommend no better fruit than an apple! And just for you, I'll throw in a few extra"

I smiled back at him, and decided to take him up on his offer. I reached into my bag and pulled out a single gold coin. "I'll take them"

The merchant happily took the coin and put the apples in my bag.

Just as I was about to leave, I noticed a small boy staring at me from across the street. He looked small and frail, and my guess was that he had just seen me buy those apples.

_I bet he's hungry._

I pulled out one of the apples in my bag. The boy's eyes became fixated on the apple; it was obvious that he wanted it. I crouched down, to try and show him that I was offering him the apple.

He took the hint.

The boy darted across the street, snatched the apple from my hand then mumbled a little "Thank you…" before taking off down the direction I came from.

_He should be fine now._

I couldn't be more wrong. As I stood up to leave, an ear-piercing cry stopped me in my tracks. I spun round and realized that the cry had come from the direction the boy had gone. I sprinted off down the street, making sure that I didn't lose the brown fabric covering my hair in the process. It didn't take me long to find the source of the cry, it had come from the little boy I met earlier.

He was being held upside down by a very tall man… Or woman. I wasn't really sure which one they were, but judging by the uniform they were wearing, this person was obliviously the head of the guard.

The person then started to shake the child up and down, causing him to let out another cry of pain. I felt anger build up inside of me.

_How dare he/she do that to a child! Even if he/she is the head of the guard!_

I felt impulse take over my body, clouding my mind, making me forget reason. For this moment I was going to let my true feelings show.

"HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO A CHILD!"

My voice seemed to echo through the streets, I bet everyone in the whole kingdom heard me. The person turned their head to face me, as they did, I noticed an evil look in their eyes.

The person then dropped the boy, stormed over and grabbed me by the neck. Their grip was tight. Bony fingers started to tighten as his/her malicious glint grew more evil. Even though I knew it was pointless, I tried to pull their deathly grip off me. I felt myself being lifted off the ground as he/she let out a snake like insult. "Really~ and what's a rotty, grotty girl like you going to do about it?"

Even though I was feeling seriously ticked off by being called 'rotty' and 'grotty', I was happy about one thing. Now that I'd heard his voice I knew he was… A transvestite!

Suddenly an idea popped into my head. I let a small grin spread across my face as I started to build up saliva in my mouth.

_We'll see who's the rotty, grotty girl!_

I then did something I knew I would regret, I spat in the guy's face.

He instantly dropped me and attended to wiping my spit off his face. I fell to the ground, landing on my ankle making it crunch as I hit the floor. I winced in pain. When I blearily blinked, looking up I saw a short sword glinting in the morning light. It was raised above me, in the hands of the she-man.

I accepted my fate in the brief second I realised the sword was falling towards me. This was it.

"HEY! EVERYONE LOOK! FLYING APPLE!"

I looked up to see an apple falling out of the sky. It landed on the transvestite's head, causing him to break out of his swing. He then looked around furiously to try and find the one who threw the apple. Unfortunately for him, he was met by a rather 'fishy' surprise.

I watched in absolute shock as a blue haired boy smacked the she-male in the face, with a fish!

The transvestite was sent flying into a nearby market stall, completely destroying it in process. I turned my attention back to the blue haired boy who was now shoving the fish back in his bag.

_He has blue hair… Like the boy in my dream… But it can't be him! Can it?_

The boy then turned to me, he grabbed my hand and helped get me back on my feet. But even though I was back on my feet, he didn't let go of my hand. Then in a southern accent, he said something that caught me off guard, "Come on! Let's get out of here quick!"

Before I had time to answer he started to run away, dragging me with him. I felt pain surge through my body with each step I took but honestly, I was more concerned about one thing.

_What just happened…?!_

**How was it? Good? Bad? I'd like to know! Also I'm sorry that this wasn't uploaded on Valentine's Day, I kind of fell asleep while typing it up.**

**See ya next time! XD**


	4. A New Friend

**I am so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so sorry that this chapter is so late! I thought I'd be free for most of my half term, but it was the complete opposite. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I didn't think it was that good to be honest since I got stuck a load of times! Oh! BTW I'm going to make a new horror/romance fanfic soon! So, look forward to that!**

**I also want to thank HodgePodge97 for reviewing again! And I want to specially thank Showtunes4life for not only reviewing but, being the first person to follow this story! She also favourited the story!**

**As a reward I'll write a fanfic of your favourite Yu-Gi-Oh GX pairing! Just send me the details! ^_^**

**Johan! Disclaimer!**

**Johan: Mayasha-chan does not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX or any of the characters in it. If she did, she wouldn't have let the story end!**

**Warning! There is a few of OOC moments in this chapter!**

Normal speech

(Important info outside the story)

_What their thinking…_

* * *

**Chapter 4: A New Friend**

Asuka P.O.V

As we ran down the dusty streets with dozens of guards hunting us down, all I could think was…

_How did this happen?_

I looked up at the blue-haired boy who'd saved me just a moment ago.

_He looks just like the boy in my dream…_

We suddenly came to an abrupt stop, causing me to crash into the back of the boy. He was unfazed by the collision.

"Uh-oh! We have company!"

I peeked my head over the boy's shoulders to see a swarm of guards heading towards us.

"What are we going to do?!" I asked, my voice laced with panic.

I watched as the boy frantically searched for a place for us to hide, or even better, escape. His gaze then landed on a narrow alleyway just to left of us. He dragged me over there, then grabbed me by the shoulders and pushed me into the narrow alleyway.

I felt my ankle burn with pain as I hit the alley-wall. I shut my eyes and tried to block out the pain. Much to my relief, the pain faded away quickly. I let out a sigh of relief and opened my eyes but, when I did, I was met with quite a shock. The boy's face was merely inches away from my own.

I felt my face heat up as I realized that his body was practically touching mine. It was as if the alleyway was trying to press us together. I looked up at the boy and noticed something that I had been unable to notice before, this boy had beautiful emerald green eyes. I couldn't stop staring at them. They were like gems.

The boy had quite a few other interesting features as well; smooth skin, a toned chest, muscles. Even his mess of blue hair added to his looks.

_He's actually… Pretty good-looking… Wait! What?!_

I shook my head to try and get rid of that stupid thought. How could I think of something like that when I barely know the guy!

I must have looked a bit strange to the boy, because he then asked me a dreaded question.

"Hey, are you ok?"

I completely froze. The boy was looking at me straight in the eyes, as if he was looking at my very soul. I didn't know what to say. All I could do was look at his alluring green eyes.

Well, that didn't last long. My ankle had other plans. I felt a sudden surge of pain course its way through my body, causing me to cry out in pain.

That was a good enough answer for the boy.

He slowly shuffled down to the other end of the alleyway and then checked for any guards. Once he deemed it safe, he motioned his hand for me to come to him. I hopped my way over to him as walking was just too painful now.

He turned to me and said "Ok, we just have to get across this street and then were safe"

I nodded in confirmation, but, there was still one thing I was confused about.

"Um… How am I going to get over there with my ankle like this?"

Suddenly, the boy grabbed me and swept me off the ground. Before I knew it, he was carrying me bridal style across the street. I felt my cheeks flush red.

_This boy is certainly strong to carry me and run at the same time, but this is also really embarrassing!_

He then carried me up a long flight of stairs. Once we reached the top, I was amazed by the sight that met my eyes. The room was very large, with a few blankets and ripped pillows decorating the sandstone floor. As we entered the room, I noticed a small pile of wood in the corner by a few pots. There was also a stack of books by the two hammocks that were hanging from the ceiling. I also noticed that in one of the hammocks was a boy with a mixture of light and dark brown hair. He looked like he was still sleeping.

_I wonder if these two are brothers._

The boy with blue hair let out a long, exasperated sigh, then walked over to the empty hammock and gently placed me in it.

"Would 'ya excuse me for a moment?" he said, with a smile so sweet, I couldn't help but smile back.

He slowly made his way over to the boy in the hammock. Then, he flipped the hammock upside down.

I gasped as the brown haired boy fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"Ouch! Johan! What the heck?!"

_His name is Johan …_

Johan walked over to a small bucket in the corner and started dipping a small towel in it. "Judai, do you know what time it is?"

"Um… Mid-day?"

"Wrong! It's the afternoon. Honestly Jay! How can you sleep that long?"

The brown haired boy simply laughed and rubbed the back of his head.

_So, his name is Judai… Maybe these two really are brothers…_

Judai then turned his head to see me. When he did, his eyes widened and a sly grin appeared on his face. He jumped up, ran over to me and stuck his face directly in front of mine.

"Hey Johan! Who's this girl? She's pretty cute!"

I immediately blushed but, I did my best t try and hide it from the boy. This seemed to be exactly what he wanted.

"Aw! She's even cutter when she blushes!"

That when Johan came up behind Judai, and gave him a noogie. "Ah! What's with you Johan? You know I was just teasing!"

Johan went to the other side of the hammock and smiled. "Of course I did Jay! I'm just wanted to mess with ya!"

Judai smiled at Johan's response. He then went back to his hammock and instantly fell asleep. In the meantime, Johan was carefully wrapping the wet towel around my ankle. I felt a cool sensation flow through my body. He then grabbed the bucket, emptied it, flipped it over and sat on it.

"That should help ease the pain; you just need to rest now"

I nodded and adjusted my position in the hammock.

"My names Johan by the way! And the guy over there is Judai, he's my best friend"

"Oh, so, he's not your brother then?"

Johan stared at me for a bit and then broke out in a fit of laughter.

"W-What?! I just thought that because you two looked alike!"

Johan's laughing fit soon ended and that when he looked over at Judai and smiled. "Yeah, I can understand why you thought that. To me, Judai is my brother. He's the closest friend I have"

I felt a bit sad when I heard those last words.

_He has no-one else…_

"Um, Johan?"

He turned his head towards me upon hearing his name.

"T-Thank you for saving me earlier… You didn't have to help me, and yet, you did. So, thank you"

I tried to put on my best smile to hide the embarrassment I was feeling. Why was I embarrassed? I had no idea. But, it seems I wasn't the only one feeling embarrassed. After hearing my thank you and seeing my smile I saw a hint of red on Johan's cheeks. He then tried to cover it up by rubbing the back of his head.

"I-It was nothing really… I just did what anyone would do…"

His nervous response was quite cute but, he got one thing wrong.

"Johan, not many people would have done what you did"

Johan didn't know how to respond to my comment, which made me laugh a bit. I'd left him dumbfounded. He eventually got round it though, by changing the subject.

"Oh! I'm sorry about Judai teasing you; he gets excited around new people"

"That's ok, I will admit though, you kind of surprised me when you flipped him out of that hammock"

Johan once again started to rub the back of his head. I guess it was a nervous habit of his.

"Yeah well, Judai's like a puppy. He's playful, brave and full of fun! But sometimes you need to flick him on the nose!"

I laughed at the comparison, but laughed even more when Johan started acting out a few scenarios. But after a while Johan must have thought that he was coming across as a violent person, because he then started frantically explaining that he wasn't violent all the time. I couldn't help but laugh at him.

We then spent hours joking, laughing and generally learning about each other. Of course, I didn't tell him I really was. Instead, I told him that I was street girl who had no family and no home. It the best I could come up with on the spot, but Johan believed me instantly.

Johan even started a fire to keep us warm and entertained me with his juggling skills. It was when we started to eat the apples I bought though, that I realized, I'd made a real friend.

I looked over at Johan, smiling as I watched him happily take another bite out of his apple.

_I have a real friend…_

I suddenly felt my eyes start to droop and I heard a fuzzy noise in my head.

_What's… Going… On…?_

The last thing I saw was Johan yawning and then laying his head down on my lap.

* * *

? P.O.V

"How could you let her out of your sight?!"

I stumbled backwards as the creature's scream sent a shockwave at my body.

"Calm yourself my friend" I replied, knowing that the creature would want to hear my explanation.

"She has already befriended the street rat, so everything is going according to plan"

The creature wasn't happy with my answer, and let out another cry. "That may be, but that ankle of hers will cause too many problems to the plan!"

I pondered what the creature said, then replied with in a malicious voice.

"Maybe you should pay our little princess a visit?"

This was what the creature wanted to hear. It spread its wings and took off into the darkening sky.

_It's time for the creature of the dark, to strike!_

* * *

**So what did you guys think? Let me know! Don't worry, the review button wouldn't bite! **

**I will try and get the next chapter up as soon as possible! I've just got to go to GEEK 2013 first! Hope to see you guys there!**

**See ya! :D**


	5. IMPORTANT NOTICE

***NOTICE***

**Hey guys! I'm really sorry for not updating in a while… And I'm really sorry for getting your hopes up with this notification.**

**But, I just wanted to let you guys know that I haven't abandoned this story!**

**However… I am going to change the plot's direction a bit as I got a good idea from a friend of mine.**

**I'm hoping to get the next chapter up soon! So please just wait a bit longer!**

**Again, I'm really, really sorry!**


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